Apparatus for twisting yarn and thread



Oct. 14, 1930. E. 'R. SWANSON 1,778,284

APPARATUS FOR TWISIIN G YARN AND THREAD Filed March 26. 1929 2Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 14, 1930. E. R. S WANSON APPARATUS FOR TWISTING YARNAND THREAD Filed March 26, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 14, 1930UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ERNEST R. SWANSON, OIF CRANSTON, RHODEISLAND, .ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL WINDING COMPANY, OF BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS APPARATUS FOR TWISTINGYARN AND THREAD Application filed March 2 6, 1929. Serial No. 350,075.

This invention relates to a novel and improved method of producing plyor cabled yarn and thread and consists in improvements in the apparatusfor carrying out the process.

The present improvement consists in general in supplying the strands fortwisting from cops, cones or other packages wound in multiple with therequired number of ends and arranged to deliver over their ends with thepackages magazined in series by tying them heel to toe; that is, withthe last end from one supply connected to the leading end of a reservesupply, so that the yarns will deliver continuously while new packagesare being creeled to replace the exhausted ones. i r

A particular object of the improvement is to provide for continuousdelivery of the ends in multiple to the twister-spindles withoutrequiring the stopping of the twister for dofling the exhausted suppliesand replacing them with fresh ones, whereby the productive capacity ofthe twister is very materially increased.

Another object of the improvement is to avoid the doffing of all of thesupplies for the numerous spindles on the twister at one time, as hasheretofore been. required, which results in leaving considerable yarn onthe dotted packages, amounting to a large quantity of waste or dead yarnin the aggregate and representing a capital investment which is a lossto the mill in which the process is practiced. I

Another object of the improvement is to provide a. twister frame havinga creel from which the yarn delivers continuously to thetwister-spindles without requiring repeated threading up through thethread-guides and feed-rolls, and on which the supply-packages may bemore conveniently and expeditiously creeled while the twisting operationis under way.

Further objects of the improvement are set forth in the followingspecification which describes a preferred method of carrying out the newprocess and a preferred form of construction of the machine andapparatus used therewithas illustrated by the accompanylng drawings.Inthe drawings:

Fig. 1 is a part-sectional end view of a twister-frame provided with amagazinecreel for holding the supply packages which deliver the endscontinuously to the twisterspindles;

Fig. 2 is a front View of a portion of the twister-frame and creel; and

Fig. 3 is a detailed view showing two of the associated supply-holdersof the creel and illustrating the manner of tying up the ends of thepackages thereon, and also the method by which the exhausted suppliesare dotted and fresh packages creeled in their place.

In the present specification the invention is shown and described asapplied to use with a ring-twister equipped for wet twisting, but it isto be understood that the improved process may be carried out ontwister-frames of other types and styles. In Fig. 1 of the drawings, 2designates the endmember of the twister-frame and 3 one of theintermediate cross-members or samsons which support the rails of themachine from the floor. The longitudinal side-rails 4 carry bolsters 5for the twister-spindles 6 which are driven from a central drumor'cylinder v For wet twisting a water or emulsion trough 23 is employedat the rear of each set of feed-rolls with a suitable glass rod or brassroll 24 immersed therein to adapt the strands y to draw therearound todampen the yarn. From the trough 23 the strands y lead forward over andaround the-top-rolls 5 series .of thread-guides 26 for guiding thestrands 'down to the wet-rolls 24 while imparting a lateral traversethereto in the usual manner.

In carrying out the present improved process I may employ any suitableform of creel for holding the supplies to deliver their yarns over theends of the packages with the latter magazined as previously explained.As a convenient form of construction I may employ a double creelsupported from crossframes or brackets 28 fastened to cross-beams 29carried on the samsons 3. The oppositely extending arms of thecross-frames 28 are provided with hubs 30 for holding the ends 26 ofhorizontally extending rods or pipes 31 which constitute the bottomsupports for the creel frame. The creel frame may be constructed frompiping with upright pipes 32 supported from the lower pipes 31 by means25 of T-fittings 33 as shown in Fig. 2. The

upper ends of the upright pipes 32 are connected to longitudinallyextending rods or pipes 34 by means of clamps 35 secured thereto bybolts 36. The uprights or pipes 32 '30 form the supports for thesupply-holders to be later described.

Spaced along the center of the creel at intervals between the upri hts32 are two series of parallel vertical ars 39 carrying 35 pigtailthread-guides 40. The vertical bars 39 may be constructed of strapmetal, having feet 41 bent to overlie a horizontal board or shelf 42supported on the cross-frames or brackets 28, the feet being fastened tothe shelf by bolts 43 or other suitable means.

The upper bent ends of the bars or uprights,

39 are joined by straps 44 and connected to horizontally-extending pipes45 by means of U-shaped clamping bolts 46. Extending be- 45 tween theinner and outer horizontal pipes 45 and 34 are suitable frames or struts47 which act to brace and stiffen the whole structure.

In the present drawings the double creel is illustrated as adapted tosupportsupply' packages of conical form, but it is to be understood thatparallel packages or supplies of any other form may be used in place ofthe cones herein shown. In any case,

55 however, the supply packages are supported non-rotatably on spindlesor holders which adapt them to deliver the yarn 'over their epds. In thepresent improved construction of thecreel the supply-holders 50 are ar-60 ranged to pivot on the uprights 32 to adapt them to swingoutwardly atthe front of the twister-frame to facilitate the dofling of the emptysupplies therefrom and the creeling of new packages thereon.

. 65 As illustrated most clearly in Fig. 3, each supply-holder 50comprises a hub 51 mounted to turn on the upright or pipe 32 andsupported in position by a collar 52 secured fast to the pipe, see Fig.2. Preferably, the hubs 51 have detent-portions 53 which engage suitablenotches in the collars52 to maintain the supply-holders in operativeposition as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Extending angularlyfrom the hubs 51 are curved arms 54 provided at their ends with spindles55 for insertion into the bores of the wooden tubes 56 which carry theyarn cops or cones C. The spindles 55 may be of any suitableconstruction as adapted for the particulartype of cop-tube oryarn-receiver used as the interior support for the package. As hereinshown, the spindles 55 are in the form of skewers having prongs ordetentlugs 57 at their ends which engage with annular grooves orrecesses 58 in the bores of the wooden cone-tubes 56.

A preferred form of construction of a twister equipped with the magazinecreel having now been described, the method of carrying out the improvedprocess thereon will next be explained. in detail. It will beunderstood'that a plurality of yarn-cops or packages are supplied foreach twisterspindle, and in the present drawings the double creel isillustrated as being provided with supply-holders arranged in pairssupported in tiers on the uprights 32. With the present type oftwister-frame the feedrolls 19 and 20 are arranged in groups of fivealong each side of the machine, and the supplies for each group consistof ten yarn-cones C arranged in two rows between each pair of uprights,32. That is to say, each of the end uprights carries five supply-holders50 and each intermediate upright carries ten supply-holders, half ofthem projecting from one side and the other half from the opposite side.

Referring to Fig, 3 of the drawings, for convenience in creellng thepackages or cones the supply-holders 50 are swung out into the positionillustrated by dotted lines in this view and-the cones applied to placethereon by sliding the cone-tubes 56 onto the spindles 55 to engage thedetent-lugs 57 with the recesses 58 in the tubes. After each package isplaced onits supplyholder 50 the latter is swung back into'the positionillustrated in full lines in Fig. 3 and the detent 53 on its hub 51 willengage with the notch in the collar 52 to hold it "in operativeposition.

When the packages or cones C are wound the first end of the strands,indicated at y in Fig. 3, is coiled in a groove or depression 60 at thebase of the cone-tube 56 to provide a surplus length of yarn forsplicing to the leading end of the next cone to be magazined. In'creeling the supplies the operator uncoils a suflicient length'of yarn yto tie to the leading end 3 of the next adjacent cone C in shown in Fig.2, the strands y are threaded through the guide or pigtail 40 in linewith the axis of the cone, see Fig. 1, and thence drawn down to thefirst guide 26 on the traverse-bar 25. From the guide 26 the strands gare led down under the rod or Wetroll 24, thence over and around thetop-roll 20 and under the bottom-roll 19 to the guide 17 on thethread-board 16. From this point the strands y are drawn down to thetraveler 12 on the ring-rail 10 and fastened to the bobbin 6. Thestrands from the next lower cone C are threaded in the same mannerthrough their respective guide 40, down around the rod 24 and thence tothe second pair of rolls which feed them to the next twister-spindle inthe series, and so on with each double row of supplies, it being herenoted that in the case of the second set of cones C and C the threadingis shown as in reverse order withthe strands y delivering first from theleft-hand cone instead of from the right-hand one. While this order is amatter of choice, the arrangement shown is preferable as it brings thetwo vertical rows 1 of reserve cones C in adjacent relation forconvenience in dotting and'creeling up. That is to say, the first conesto be exhausted will be located in adjacent rows so that the operatorneed not move from one position to another in creeling a double row ofcones after the ends start to deliver from the connected reserve cones.

It will be understood that with the arrangement as herein shown thesupplies are wound in multiple, that is, 'with the required number ofends on each cone in accordance with the number of ply of the yarn to beproduced. For some purposes, in creeling'and magazining the-supplies theends are tied together with a bunch knot, but in other instances, tosecure a high quality in the product the multiple ends may beseparatedhnd tied individually at different points so as to avoid abunch or enlargement in the finished yarn.

\Vhen the twister is started to operate, the multiplestrands 1 from thefirst set of cones C of the series will'be drawn ofl:' over the ends ofthe packages under the action of the feedrolls and fed to thetwister-spindles 6 to be wound onto the bobbins b. Through the provisionof the magazine creel having the 3 ends from the supply packages tiedheel to toe a continuous delivery may be maintained it so that it is notrequired to stop the twister for dofling the empty suppliesandcreelingfresh packages. I hat is to say, the strands for eachtwister-spindle will deliver first from the cone C and after the yarn onthis cone is exhausted the supply will continue from the reserve cone C.After the yarn on the first set of cones C is exhausted the dofl'erpasses along the front of the frame and swinging back the supply-holders5O doffs the empty supplies therefrom and places fresh cones thereon.The leading ends of the strands from these new reserve cones are thentied to the last ends of the strands on the delivering cones, andpreferably, the spliced ends are coiled about the heel or base of thecones to take up the slack.

As the twisting operation continues and the yarn is exhausted from thesecond set of cones C the last-creeled supplies will commence to deliverso that another set of reserve cones may be creeled, and in this way asupply of yarn is always maintained for each twister-spindle during thecontinuous operation of the machine.

Heretofore in the present art it has usually been the practice to stopthe twisting operation to doff the exhausted supplies and creel and tieup the ends of the new cops or packages. The creeling of a large numberof supplies necessarily requires considerable time to accomplish andtherefore the twisterframes must be stopped for relatively long periodswhich occur at frequent intervals. This stopping for dofiing andrecreeling very materially curtails the productive capacity of themachine. Furthermore, and quite as serious, the previouslv used practiceof stopping the machine for dofiing and recreeling results in a loss ofyarn. As well known, all of the supply-packages do not contain thesame'amount of yarn and due to this and other conditions the ends willnot run out all at the same time. When the first supply runs out a veryconsiderable amount of yarn may be left on certain other supplies and asall of the packages are dofled at the same time this results in leavinga large amount of yarn ;on the containers as waste or dead yarn.

In some cases the yarn remaining on the packages is rewound while inother instances the new packages are wound over the dead yarn so that ineither case there is a loss. In

the case where the dead yarn remains on the packages for repeatedhandlings it represents a certain capital investment which eliminatingthe stops for dotting and recreeling with a consequent increase in theproductive capacity of the twister, the present invention provides forusing up all of the yarn on the cops or packages so that the loss fromwaste or dead yarn is entirely done away with. For these reasons thepresent improvement provides important economies in the process oftwisting ply or cabled yarn to attain the advantages and economieshereln cones or packages to adapt the yarn to deas they becomeexhausted, this practice neces-' sitating that the operator be at theproper location as the supply runs out. It is impossible, however, foran operator tending a large. number of twister spindles to always reacha supply at the instant that it runs out and therefore it is the commonpractice to' doff a group of supplies before'the yarn on all of them, isentirely exhausted. As in the former case this practice also results inwaste yarn.

With the present improved process the operator is not required to moveback and forth from one location to another to'reach the supplies asthey run out, but is allowed a liberal period of time to creel thereserve supplies in regular order while thelast-creeled supplies arerunning. For this reason the operator can tend more spindles, thusreducing the labor cost/ It is believed that the present improvedprocess is the first to provide for twisting yarns from magazinedsupplies with the delivery maintained continuous to eliminate stoppagesfor dofling and recreeling, whereby set forth. Therefore, the inventionis herein claimed broadly without limitation as to the apparatusemployed in carrying out the process,

WVhile I have herein illustrated a preferred form of the apparatus,including a double magazine creel applied to the twister-frame, it is tobe understood that various modifications may be made in the form andconstruction of the machine and with respect to the method of carryingout the improved process.

Therefore, without limiting myself to the a having opposlte rails,twlster-spindles rotatparticular form of construction shown or to theprecise method described, I claim:

1. Animproved twister-frame comprising a plurality of twistefipindies,feed-rolls for feeding thestrands tothe twister-spindles, and a creelfor holding non-rotatable cops,

liver over the ends thereof, said creel being provided with aplurality'of thread-guides through which the strands draw to direct themto the twister-spindles, a plurality of supply-holders arranged with theaxes of two associated holders in asubstant'ially horizontal' plane anddirected toward a single thread-guide to adapt the packages to bemagazined to deliver the yarn first-from one packageand then fromanother to maintain a continuous delivery to all of the spindles withoutarresting the operation of the twister to dofl the exhausted suppliesand recreel -fresh supplies, and means for hingedly mounting thesupply-holders to adapt them to turn about vertical axes whereby theymay be individually swung outwardly at the front of the frame tofacilitate-dotting the exhausted packages and replacing them with freshpackages.

2. A twister-frame comprising twisterspindles, means for feedingmultiple ends to the twister-spindles to produce a yarn therefrom, acreel comprising a framework, a plurality of thread-guides supported inrows on said framework, and a plurality of supply-holders hingedlymounted to swing about vertical axesat the front of the framework andarranged in pairs with the axes of two associated holders directedtoward a single thread-guide, said supply-holders adapted to beindividually swung out into position above the twister-spindles tofacilitate the doffing of the supplies therefrom and the recreeling offresh supplies thereon.

3. A cwister-frame comprising twisterspindles arranged'in rows on theopposite sides of the machine, pairs of feed-rolls arranged aboveeach'spindle to adapt them to deliver the multiple strands thereto, anda creel arranged above the frame, said creel provided with a supportcarrying rows of thread-guides of a number equal to the number oftwister-spindles, and supply-holders ranged in pairs with the axes oftwo associated' holders directed rearwardly toward a single thread-guideto adapt the strands to feed continuously first from one supply and thenfrom another and to be guided toward the center of the frame and thencedownwardly to the twister-spindles, said supplyholders being hinged onvertical axes to adapt them to be individually swung outwardly from thefront of the creel to facilitate dofl"- ing the exhaustedsupply-packages and re creeling new packages in their place.

4. In a twister, the combination of a frame ably supported on the railsat either side of the machine, ring-rails co-operating with thetwister-spindles, feed-rolls arranged at opposite sides of the machinewith a pair of rolls for each spindle, a double creel having verticalstandards at the center of the frame,

thread-guides supported in rows on said.

them to be individually swung forwardly into position over thetwister-spindles, said supply-holders beingarranged in pairs andnormally held in position with the axes of two associatedholdersdirected toward a single threlad-guide on the central upright ofthe cree 5. In combination with a twister-frame, standards at theopposite ends of the frame,

rods extending horizontally between said standards on opposite sides ofthe frame, uprights supported from said rods and arranged in spacedrelationship along both sides of the frame, supply-holders pivoted onsaid uprights to adapt them to swing in horizontal planes and providedwith means for supportmg yarn-cops, a series of uprights extending inspaced relationship along the center of the frame, thread-guides mountedon said lastnamed uprights, and detent-means for normally maintainingthe supply-holders with the axes of two associated holders alined with asingle thread-guide whereby the yarn from the packages carried thereonmay be caused to deliver first from one package and then from the otherpackage with a continuous delivery, said detent-means being releasablewhereby the supply-holders may be swung outwardly at the front of theframe to facilitate dofiing the exhausted yarn-packages and creelingfresh supplies in their place Without interrupting the operation of thetwister-frame.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

"ERNEST R. SWANSON.

